April 19, 2005:
Just three days after boldly announcing it would not
purchase rice from Missouri if the state continues with
plans to allow genetically modified rice, Anheuser-Busch
agreed to a compromise. Citing fears of contamination,
Anheuser-Busch, the country’s largest rice buyer
created quite a stir last week when it announced it
would boycott its home state’s rice crop if Sacramento-based
Ventria Bioscience was allowed to plant rice that had
been enhanced with synthetic human genes. A compromise
reached Saturday ended the short lived threat. Ventria
has agreed to move its planting sites to the southwest
part of the state, at least 120 miles from the rice-growing
region. Ventria is testing rices spliced with genes
to produce the proteins lactoferrin and lysozyme. The
proteins will then be used in medicines to combat deadly
forms of diarrhea.
For more on this story:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/
local/states/california/northern_california/11406959.htm
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